10 Of The Worst Car Trends We’ve Ever Seen
Over the years, the automotive world has given us some brilliant innovations—but also some truly baffling trends. While some car fads improve performance and style, others seem to exist purely to make people shake their heads.
From over-the-top aesthetics to unnecessary modifications, these trends have ranged from impractical to outright ridiculous. Let’s take a look at 10 of the worst car trends that left us wondering: what were they thinking?
1. Over-the-Top Spoilers
This trend might have been born from the high-speed world of racing, but when it landed on everyday sedans, it was pure automotive comedy. Spoilers, intended to improve aerodynamics at high speeds, started sprouting like oversized, plastic wings on vehicles never meant to break the speed limit.
While many dreamed of their car looking track-ready, these appendages often did little more than scream ‘look at me!’ The colossal size often led to impracticality, blocking rear visibility and serving as nothing more than a perch for birds.
Car enthusiasts rolled their eyes at these monstrous contraptions, laughing at the absurdity as sedans with skyscraper-like spoilers cruised the streets. A classic example is the Toyota Corolla with a spoiler larger than its trunk, a true testament to overzealous design.
2. Excessive Chrome
Shiny chrome detailing can add a touch of elegance to a luxury car. But at some point, car designers went overboard, turning entire vehicles into rolling mirrors that blinded everyone in sight.
From fully chromed-out SUVs to aftermarket stick-on trim pieces, this trend took what was once classy and made it look ridiculously tacky. Worse, all that extra weight negatively impacted performance.
3. Ridiculously Large Rims
At some point, bigger wheels became a badge of honor, and people started putting comically oversized rims on cars that had no business wearing them. Suddenly, everyday sedans were riding around on 28-inch rims, barely leaving enough room for the tires themselves.
While big rims might look flashy, they ruin ride quality, destroy fuel efficiency, and make tire replacements outrageously expensive. Not to mention, they make cars look comically disproportionate.
Worst case scenario: A tiny hatchback on giant rims, struggling to make it over speed bumps.
4. Fake Vents
If your car isn’t a high-performance machine, don’t pretend it is. This trend saw automakers and aftermarket enthusiasts adding fake vents, grilles, and scoops that serve no purpose other than trying to look cool.
The problem? They fool absolutely no one. If anything, they make a car look cheaper, not sportier. Instead of improving airflow, these stick-on vents just end up as another laughable gimmick.
5. Underbody Neon Lights
Inspired by street racing culture, neon underglow lighting was supposed to make cars look futuristic and fast. Instead, it mostly made them look like mobile glow sticks rolling down the street.
While it might have looked cool in movies like The Fast and the Furious, in real life, most cars with underglow were nowhere near race-ready. Even worse, many places banned them for safety reasons, making them both impractical and illegal.
6. Scissor Doors on Non-Supercars
Lamborghinis can pull off scissor doors effortlessly, but that doesn’t mean a Honda Civic should try. This trend saw everyday cars getting aftermarket “Lambo doors” that opened vertically—usually with disastrous results.
Installing these doors on non-exotic cars was expensive, impractical, and often led to malfunctioning hinges. Instead of looking high-end, the result was usually awkward and unnecessary.
Most laughable example: A Dodge Charger with scissor doors that barely cleared the curb.
7. Unnecessary Roof Racks
Roof racks are great if you actually use them. But for some reason, they became a fashion statement—and suddenly, people were driving around with giant, unused roof racks on compact cars that never left the city.
This trend made small cars look like they were always preparing for an adventure that never happened. And since these racks add wind resistance and reduce fuel efficiency, they were more of a burden than a benefit.
8. Sticker Overload
A couple of bumper stickers? Fine. But covering an entire car in random stickers, slogans, and brand logos just turns it into a rolling scrapbook of bad decisions.
Drivers who went overboard with stickers cluttered their cars with everything from sarcastic quotes to racing logos for brands they didn’t even use.
And while they might have thought they were making a statement, most people just rolled their eyes at the visual chaos.
9. Excessive Badge Engineering
Some drivers wanted their regular economy cars to look more luxurious, so they started slapping higher-end brand badges on them—turning their Honda Accords into “Acura Legends” or their Chevy Malibus into “Cadillac” sedans.
The problem? Anyone who knew cars could spot the deception immediately. Instead of impressing people, it usually just made the car’s owner look desperate.
10. Too Many Tailpipes
A well-designed exhaust system enhances performance—but some car owners took things to a ridiculous extreme, adding four, six, or even eight exhaust tips to cars that barely needed two.
More exhaust pipes don’t necessarily mean more power. In most cases, they were just empty pipes tacked onto the bumper for “looks”. Instead of appearing sporty, these setups just made cars look excessively try-hard.
Most ridiculous sighting: A tiny sedan with more tailpipes than horsepower.